The Avalanche will take Monday off and begin to prepare for Thursday’s Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center. The latest injury updates are in this Terry Frei blog post[1]. Terry relieved me for the California part of the season-ending, four-game road trip, and has the latest information about versatile forward John Mitchell (concussion), defensemen Jan Hejda (upper-body) and Tyson Barrie (upper-body), rugged wing Cody McLeod (ankle) and veteran D Cory Sarich (back).

Mitchell’s injury is surprising and alarming. After he scored the empty-net goal in Thursday’s 4-2 win at Vancouver, I stood a few feet away from him as he did a post-game radio interview in the Rogers Arena hallway and soon thereafter I talked to him in visiting locker room. He looked and sounded A-OK. But he complained of headaches that night or Friday in San Jose and was ultimately diagnosed with a concussion. There is no rushing back from a concussion, even in the playoffs. That’s a big blow to a forward corps that is already missing leading scorer Matt Duchene (knee). Duchene, who is not expected to play in the series against the Wild, might get back in the lineup sooner than Mitchell. Coach Patrick Roy didn’t seem too optimistic about Hejda, who was injured in Sunday’s season finale at Anaheim, but it seems McLeod and Barrie were held out of that game for precautionary reasons.

We’ll know more Tuesday at practice, but excellent chance McLeod and Barrie will participate.

Not sure if Las Vegas is on top of all the Avs’ injuries, but here’s the current odds from Bovada[2].